The Davis Group: Cailin Hope

Matt wrote Charlotte's 2.5 year post so it seemed fitting that he should also compose Cailin's.

Dear Cailin,

At two-and-a-half years, you are:

LOUD: As I write this, I can hear you talking upstairs as you sit in bed. This sounds about right. You are a loud little person. Mama says you take after me in this. You only talk in volume 11. You stomp around the house and up and down the stairs. Until recently, anytime someone whispered, you would should back, “WHY YOU TALKIN’ QUIET?!?!?!” One of your least favorite things in the world is to be shushed. Today you told us that the babysitter shushed you last night, and you had clearly taken offense. Mama thinks you don’t like the sound. I disagree. I think loudness is so core to who you are, that shushing is antithetical to your being.

EVOLVING: To prepare for writing this, I reviewed the letter I had written to Charlotte at the same age. The overarching theme was that she was the same person she had always been, but only more so. I would not say the same about you, because you have changed quite a bit over time. When you were a baby, you clung to Mama all of the time. You barely acknowledged my existence until we took a trip to Boston when you were 11 months old and you were left under my aegis. Every time you were dropped off at church nursery or elsewhere you would scream. You were so shy that you would hide your face if a stranger looked at you. You once pounded your forehead into a table at a restaurant because a waitress smiled at you. All of this is completely different now. You are probably the most outgoing member of our family. We had a housewarming party in December and you eagerly greeted people at the door. Last night, a new babysitter came over who you had never met. All you asked us beforehand was “is she scary?” You were satisfied when we said she was not. You run into church class every Sunday and you are really excited to start school in September.

INDEPENDENT: As a true middle child, you are self-sufficient. If no one is prompt about getting your milk (your favorite beverage and a multi-daily ritual), you will go to the kitchen and pour yourself a cup (and clean up the mess you make if we are lucky). Yesterday you woke up from nap and laid in bed until your clock turned yellow. Once it did, you got up and turned the sound machine off. You then headed down to the basement to play with Charlotte. At no point in this journey did you worry where your parents were (we were in the way way upstairs). You insist on doing most activities yourself.

UNFLAPPABLE: Nothing bothers you. This makes you a delightful person to be around. When Matthew was born, we worried that your psyche would be damaged by being displaced as the baby of the family. In particular, we worried about your reaction to Mama nursing Matthew. In reality, you could not care less. The first time you witnessed your brother being nursed, you yelled “MATTHEW’S EATIN’ MAMA’S BELLY!!!!” then laughed hysterically. You are also very flexible. Charlotte runs up the stairs and says “I’m going first!” You contentedly follow and shout “I’m second!” Anytime we ask you two to choose an activity, Charlotte makes the first proposal. You are always happy to go along with her suggestion. This trait also makes you impossible to discipline. For example, if you don’t stay in your bed, we’ve moved you to a baby crib as a punishment. You just seem to celebrate it as a novelty. If we take away your stuffed animals, you’ll make do without them. One time, after I told you to stay in bed, I realized you were wearing a swimsuit (indicating you had snuck into the closet at some point). I was so bereft of disciplinary ideas that I put you on the porch on a cold March day while you were still in the bathing suit. Your mom walked around the corner at that moment and was appalled, you never seemed to mind.

Overall, you are a challenging kid to parent, but a really fun person to be around.